Hiring to be done by spring for 2017 Super Duty that launches next fall

Ford will spend $1.3 billion and add 2,000 jobs at its Kentucky Truck plant in Louisville to make the next-generation 2017 Super Duty pickup.

The size of the investment reflects the decision to switch future generations of vehicles to aluminum bodies from steel in a bid to shed weight and improve fuel economy on some of the automaker's largest vehicles.

The $1.3 billion was promised as part of the 2011 labor agreement. In addition, the recently negotiated 2015 contract calls for another $600 million investment for the next generation of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator which are also made at Kentucky Truck and which are also expected to get aluminum bodies.

The plant news was to be announced by Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas, at an event Tuesday morning at the Kentucky plant that employs almost 4,400 people.

Ford is hiring now and expects to have all the positions filled by the second quarter of 2016. Applicants must apply in person at the Kentucky Career Center in downtown Louisville.

The 2,000 positions are part of the 8,500 jobs announced as part of the new four-year Ford-UAW contract that was ratified Nov. 20.

The all-new 2017 F-Series Super Duty pickup was unveiled in September at the State Fair of Texas and, like the smaller F-150, switches to an aluminum body. It is set to launch in the fall of 2016 with a choice of diesel and gasoline engines.

Ford took a risk when it converted the F-150 to aluminum. It required taking two assembly plants down for months which dented sales in the final quarter of 2014 and well into this year as inventories of the new model slowly built up.

Converting the Super Duty lineup will not require downtime beyond next year's normal summer shutdown at the Kentucky Truck plant, according to spokesman Mike Levine. That is because Ford will have completed its new body shop by the first quarter of 2017 to allow assembly of the next-generation model to start while the outgoing model is being phased out.

In addition to the new body shop, the plant is receiving other upgrades and new tooling. The automaker has also filed zoning requests to expand the manufacturing base of the plant that produces F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty pickups and chassis cabs, as well as the Expedition and Navigator.

With the new Super Duty, "we expect to continue growing our truck leadership,” Hinrichs said in a statement in advance of the event.

The $1.3 billion investment follows the $80 million invested in 2014 to meet growing customer demand for the Super Duty trucks and $129 million to support Lincoln MKC production at the nearby Louisville Assembly Plant.

​“Adding new jobs and more investment at Kentucky Truck Plant not only secures a solid foundation for our UAW members, but also strengthens the communities in which they live, work and play,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president, National Ford Department.

Settles led Ford negotiations for a new UAW contract which passed by a slim 51% on Nov. 20. The 9,000 members of Local 862 at both Louisville assembly plants voted 65% against the contract.

Ford began manufacturing vehicles in Kentucky in 1913 with 11 employees. Kentucky Truck Plant opened in 1969.

“This tremendous investment and commitment to new job creation reconfirms the strength of a more than century-long relationship between Kentucky and Ford Motor Company,” said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. “We wholeheartedly appreciate Ford’s continued confidence in the commonwealth’s work force and pro-business environment, and we look forward to expanding our relationship in the future.”

There are five models in the Super Duty lineup: XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum.

Ford has 43% of the heavy-duty truck segment and 64% of the chassis cab market. And, like the F-150, these trucks haul in big profits for the automaker.

Ford hiring in Kentucky

Ford is adding 2,000 jobs at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. The company is hiring now and expects to have all the positions filled by the second quarter of 2016. Applicants must apply in person at the Kentucky Career Center in downtown Louisville.